Game package board and game pieces as core thereof



y 1967 H. A. WILSON 3,319,961

GAME PACKAGE BOARD AND GAME PIECES AS CORE THEREOF Filed Dec. 6, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 J1 INENTOR.

HENRY ALLEN WILSON H. A. WILSON May 16, 1967 GAME PACKAGE BOARD AND GAME PIECES AS CORE THEREOF 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 6 1963 FIG.

' INVENTOR HEN RY ALLEN WILSON ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,319,961 GAME PACKAGE BOARD AND GAME PIECES AS CORE THEREOF Henry A. Wilson, 1000 Eldorado Ave., Clearwater Beach, Fla. 33515 Filed Dec. 6, 1963, Ser. No. 328,584 2 Claims. (Cl. 273136) This invention relates to improvements in nesting or interfitting game pieces having mutually embracing and sustaining Wall portions.

More specifically my invention relates to such improvements in game pieces adapted to improve their uses for stacking in game play and for purposes of packaging, storage and handling.

It will be obvious that the game pieces to which my invention pertains form the essential parts of games requiring a great number of relatively small and movable game pieces including a game board on which the game pieces such as checkers are played in single or stacked condition.

It is an object of this invention to produce a new game and game pieces therefor such as used in checkers, in which the pieces waiting to be played upon the board will be automatically held together in stable stacks during the course of play.

It is a further object of this invent-ion to provide for relatively rigid packaging of the game pieces not only for the safe storage of all parts of the game including the board itself when not in use as a game but primarily for the handling thereof in relatively rigid package form as a new article of manufacture.

As such the flexible board and mutually supporting game pieces and also the casing therefor provide a relatively strong symmetrical and rigid package due primarily to the deep interfitting wall of each game piece, providing the core.

For a detailed understanding of my invention, reference is made to the written description and accompanying drawings wherein:

FG. 1 is a plan view of one form of game piece or token.

FIG. 2 is a section along the line 22 of FIG. 1 but showing several pieces in stacked relationship.

FIG. 3 is a section along the line 33 of FIG. -1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the token of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a second form of token.

FIG. 6 is a section along the line 6-6 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the token of FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is a side elevation of the token of FIG. 5.

FIG. 9 is a view of the game board.

FIG. 10 .is a view of the casing.

FIG. 11 is a View showing the board and tokens being wrapped to form a packet.

FIG. 12 shows the assembling of the packet in the casing.

FIG. 13 shows the general appearance of the game package.

FIG. 14 is an enlarged view of the closing end of the casing showing the disposition of board and tokens in the package.

FIG. 15 is a section along the line 15--15 of FIG. 13.

In FIGS. l-4 is shown a token or game piece 2 comprising a circular planar central body portion 4 having projections 6 formed by angular wall portions 6' and portions of walls 8, and similarly shaped wall portions 7 and other portions of walls 8 providing depressions 9 spaced alternately with said projections around the periphery of the central planar body portion 4. As is clearly shown in these figures, the material of the token or game piece is thin and the projections and depres- 3,319,961 Patented May 16, 1967 sions which are formed on opposite sides of the token by being pressed out of the plane of the body portion receive the projections and depressions of adjacent tokens, as shown in FIGURE 2. The tokens thus made provide relatively long and wide walls complementary to each other and interfit in a manner to allow stable stacking into piles. The tokens may desirably be made of different colors to allow use as checkers or poker chips, for example.

In the form of the invention shown in FIGS. 1-4 the projections and depressions are open at the periphery. In the form of the invention shown in FIGS. 5- 8 the projections and depressions are not open at the periphery and are shown as pyramidal projections 10 on the top side and pyramidal depressions 12 on the opposite face. Each projection and depression is truncated by a flat surface 11. The construction shown is similar to a pin and circular opening for receiving the pin but is much simpler to form and easier to manipulate.

The game board is shown at 14 in FIG. 9 and is made of a flexible material that may be rolled as shown in FIG. 11.

When it is desired to store or otherwise pack the game it is merely necessary to collect the tokens into a pile, in which form they will automatically rest and support one another, and wrap the game board around the pile of tokens as a case as shown in FIG. 11, and thus form a relatively rigid packet. The angular interfitting walls of the tokens give sufficient stiffness to the core of the packet to allow it to be inserted in a flexible casing 16 for handling or shipping as shown particularly in FIG. 12. The casing is closed at one end and the other end is provided with ears 18, 20. Each ear is provided with one element of a snap fastener 22. When the package is completed by fastening the ears together it is inherently stifl? to retain the shape shown in FIG. 13 although it can be bent to the positions shown at 24, 26.

Having described my invention what is claimed as new 1. A game package comprising a suitably marked flexible board rolled in cyilndrical form about a plurality of complementary shaped interfitted games pieces as a core therefor, each of said game pieces comprising a circular planar central body portion and projections and depressions consecutively and evenly spaced around the periphery of said central body portion and on opposite sides thereof, said pieces being of such shape that each has a circular periphery formed at least in part by a cylindrically curved surface, the edges of each surface being in contact with the edges of the corresponding surfaces of pieces immediately adjacent thereto, whereby said core has a vertically continuous peripheral surface of cylindrioal curvature.

2. A package as defined in claim 1 wherein some of the game pieces are of a color different from other of the game pieces.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,667,353 -1/1954 Lanice 273-136 2,782,039 2/1957 Martin 273-.l37 2,786,681 3/ 1957 Ellett 27 3-436 2,873,976 2/1959 Alatorre 273- 137 FOREIGN PATENTS 861,883 11/1940 France. 116,825 6/ 1918 Great Britain.

DELBERT B. LOWE, Primary Examiner.

E. R. ZACK, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A GAME PACKAGE COMPRISING A SUITABLY MARKED FLEXIBLE BOARD ROLLER IN CYLINDRICAL FORM ABOUT A PLURALITY OF COMPLEMENTARY SHAPED INTERFITTED GAMES PIECES AS A CORE THEREFOR, EACH OF SAID GAME PIECES COMPRISING A CIRCULAR PLANAR CENTRAL BODY PORTION AND PROJECTIONS AND DEPRESSIONS CONSECUTIVELY AND EVENLY SPACED AROUND THE PERIPHERY OF SAID CENTRAL BODY PORTION AND ON OPPOSITE SIDES THEREOF, SAID PIECES BEING OF SUCH SHAPE THAT EACH HAS A CIRCULAR PERIPHERY FORMED AT LEAST IN PART BY A CYLINDRICALLY CURVED SURFACE, THE EDGES OF EACH SURFACE BEING IN CONTACT WITH THE EDGES OF THE CORRESPONDING SURFACES OF PIECES IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT THERETO, WHEREBY SAID CORE HAS A VERTICALLY CONTINUOUS PERIPHERAL SURFACE OF CYLINDRICAL CURVATURE. 